The State Fair Job
by serenelystrange
Summary: Title says a lot, lol. Something shady's going down at the Topsfield Fair. The team gets involved. Shenanigans ensue. Rating upped to T for language and implied situations. COMPLETE
1. Nate's Not the Only One Who Finds Jobs

A/N – Ok, folks. Here goes another attempt at a more "con" story than random one shot. A lot of y'all liked my last attempt, so I hope you like this one as well. But first a few notes.

Yes, the Topsfield Fair is real. It's held in Topsfield, MA every year in October.

Also, yes, I'm fudging with the timing a little, to keep Sophie around. In my reality, she never left and she and Nate never had that graveyard moment. So I guess this takes place somewhere early season 2.

I'm gonna try really hard to keep from pairing anybody straight out, I really am. But I make no promises.

Ok, all that being said, hope you enjoy. Comments are love.

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**CH 1 – Nate's Not the Only One Who Finds Jobs**

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Nate woke up to a familiar pounding in his head. Groaning, he pulled his pillow over his head, trying to stop the noise, before realizing that the noise wasn't coming from inside his head. He hadn't had a hangover in months. Fuzzily, he realized the pounding was actually knocking, coming from the front door. Groaning again, Nate tossed the pillow to the floor and grudgingly sat up.

Pulling on a warm robe over his pajama pants and t-shirt, he padded barefoot down the stairs, wincing when he realized he had forgotten his slippers. It was October now, he'd forgotten how cold Boston could be in October. Peering out the peephole, only somewhat warily, Nate sighed in a mixture of relief and annoyance as he saw Hardison peering impatiently at the door. Shaking his head, he opened the door for the fidgety hacker with a dry greeting of 'Hardison,' before locking the door behind him and heading to the bathroom. The other man could manage to be alone for a few minutes.

When Nate emerged from the bathroom, teeth brushed and business taken care of, he found Hardison fiddling with his laptop, which wasn't altogether unusual. What was unusual, however, was Hardison fiddling with his laptop in Nate's apartment, on a Saturday, at 8 o clock in the morning, before Nate had even made his coffee. At closer inspection, Nate noticed Hardison was wearing the same jeans and sweater he'd been sporting the night before, when the rest of the team had mercifully gone home. He also noticed the hacker's eyes were adorned with bags that were far too puffy for somebody his age.

"Why did you knock? You never knock." Nate asked by way of greeting. Hardison just shrugged. Nate sighed, "Have you even gone to bed yet?" To which Hardison shook his head rapidly from side to side, pulling up various images to the big screens with lightning fast fingers.

"Ok then," Nate tried a new approach, "Want to tell me why you're here at 8AM? On a Saturday. With pictures of... what is that, pumpkins?" He stepped closer, bleary eyes revealing that the image in front of him was indeed pumpkins. Giant pumpkins, in fact.

Hardison finally rested his zooming fingers and stood to stand beside the TV, motioning for Nate to have a seat on the couch. Somewhat weary but altogether amused, Nate sat.

"I think I found us a job," Hardison began, "And ok, I know I don't really find the jobs, that's more your thing, or Sophie's thing, but I really think I'm on to something here, and I think we could help, and I just…"

Nate laughed. "Relax, Hardison," he interrupted, "You can find jobs too. Tell me about this," he waved in the general direction of the screen.

Hardison visibly relaxed at the words, slumping down into one of the armchairs with his handheld pointer before continuing.

"So you've heard of the Topsfield Fair, right?" He paused to look at Nate, who nodded a yes, before going on. "Anyway, the fair's been popping up in the papers a lot lately. Which, ok, isn't that strange. State Fair, could make a lot of money, lots of advertising, lots of contests, whatever. But then I noticed all the accidents."

"Accidents?" Nate asked, in that voice Hardison knew all too well. The voice that said, 'oh, we're getting involved in this. Oh yes.' He'd be lying if he said it didn't creep him out just a little bit.

"Anyway. Yeah, they've been having a lot of accidents lately. Nothing major, at least nobody's been hurt. But there's just something off about the whole thing. It doesn't seem as random as it should be. It's like…"

Nate nodded, "whoever is doing this has targets."

Hardison scowled at being cut off once again, but nodded, "Definitely. I mean, listen to this. In the past week alone, there was a small fire in the horse stable, no horses got hurt, just spooked, but still. Then there was fried dough incident. Several people got violently ill after eating fried dough, and now the Fair is facing a couple of lawsuits. Not to mention that attendance is obviously down. There's also been a few incidents of stolen cars, but I'm not sure if those are related or just bad luck yet. And finally, we have the pigs and honey debacle."

"Debacle?" Nate asked, tilting his head.

Hardison huffed, "Yes, debacle. I can use fancy words too." Nate just rolled his eyes. "The point is," Hardison continued, ignoring Nate's reaction, "Somebody set loose a bunch of big pigs… right into the honey tent… and they trashed the place. Nobody was around, thankfully, and the bees didn't get loose, but there was a lot of money lost. People love those honey sticks, I'll tell ya."

"They have candles too. Like, beeswax candles. And do it yourself candle making kits," Nate commented, mostly to himself, thinking.

"OoooK," Hardison said as he turned the TV screen black once again, "So you think we have a job?"

Nate grinned, in a way that matched the creepy voice to a t, "Definitely. Let's call the others; we've got a state fair to steal!"

Hardison nodded his agreement, but by the time Nate came back downstairs with his cell phone, the other man was fast asleep on the couch, screen pointer held protectively against his chest.

TBC

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	2. Poke

**CH-2 – Poke**

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Hardison awoke to the fuzzy image of Parker crouching in front of him, poking him repeatedly in the shoulder to wake him up. Momentarily confused, he wondered why Parker was in his bedroom, not that he entirely minded. The his vision cleared up and he noticed Eliot standing a few steps back, watching with amusement, and Hardison minded Eliot in his bedroom just a little bit more. He finally realized he was in fact, still on Nate's couch, and sat up, swatting away Parker's poking finger. Parker in turn, just smirked and flopped down on the couch beside him.

"What was that all about?" Hardison turned to ask the girl, but she just shrugged. Eliot settled into the armchair Hardison had used earlier before addressing him, "She likes to poke."

Parker nodded, agreeing, "It's a thing."

Smirking with his idea, Hardison reached over to poke Parker in the shoulder, laughing when she scowled at him. This, of course, was the exact moment Nate chose to come back into the room, Sophie in tow. "What's going on? Why are you poking Parker?" he asked. Sophie came to stand beside Nate, nodding her agreement, "Honestly, Hardison, aren't you a little old for that?"

Hardison sputtered as Parker and Eliot laughed. Sophie went to sit beside Parker, who inched closer to Hardison, and even if she did bug him, he couldn't say he minded her being so close. Didn't mean he had to admit it though, so he just sat back with his arms crossed, waiting for Nate to begin the meeting.

"Ok," Nate began. "I've already filled you all in about what the Topsfield Fair is, and what Hardison found. So now we just need an in." He paused to silence the immediate suggestions from Parker and Sophie, each whom he knew would have their own special way of making chaos.

"Look, I've been to this fair. Many times. It's not C.I.A. We don't need a big operation to get in. We just show up, pay our tickets, and we're good to go. We just try to be low key and blend in, so Hardison can plant the cameras, or hack into them, whatever the situation is. And Eliot and Parker can take a look around for anything that looks off. And Sophie, you're going to be a journalist. And I'll be your camera man."

Parker interrupted, "But you just said we didn't have to do anything fancy this time! How come Sophie gets to do something fun?"

"It's the perfect way to get footage without anybody asking questions. And I'd like to see anybody deny Sophie her story." The grifter shot Nate a look of pride, but she didn't miss his comment on her character.

Parker huffed, but accepted the explanation. Nate went on,

"Alright, so we're going to do this tomorrow. We might just get preliminary information, see what's going on, but Sundays are a good day to go. Busy enough to blend in, but not as crazy as Saturdays. On second thought, Sophie, we're gonna hold off on the journalist angle. Let's see if Hardison can hack his way into the camera's first, or plant his own."

"Of course I can," Hardison rolled his eyes, "It'll be easy."

"Good," Nate nodded, "Now let's talk clothing."

Sophie looked up in happiness, "Ooh, costumes?" Eliot groaned; he hated the costume jobs.

"Not costumes, sorry. Just regular clothing. Jeans, jackets or sweaters, you know, normal fall clothing. Something you won't mind getting a little dirty. It's an outdoor fair after all." He paused to observe Sophie's wrinkled nose, "Sorry, Soph, but you might want to leave the high heels home for this one. You'll thank me, I promise." Sophie pouted but nodded.

"Hardison, just, keep the crazy designs and scarves to a minimum. Parker, please remember a jacket. We don't need you getting sick in the middle of a job. And Eliot…" he trailed, taking in Eliot's weathered jeans and plaid shirt ensemble, "Actually, you'll fit right in." Eliot raised an eyebrow, unsure of whether to be offended or not. Deciding he didn't actually care, he shrugged and motioned Nate on.

"We're all set then," Nate went on, "We'll meet here at 9AM tomorrow, it's about an hour drive." I think we should take two cars, just in case. So, mine and the van ok?"

"I call driving the van!" Hardison exclaimed, knowing Nate would drive his own car. Nate nodded.

Eliot interrupted, "no way I'm riding in the back seat of either car. I'll take my bike." And just to annoy Hardison a little, he leaned over to give Parker a dashing smile, "Wanna ride with me?"

"No!" chorused Hardison, Nate and Sophie, all at once. Sophie fearing for her safety, Nate fearing the trail of damage he was sure Eliot and Parker could cause together, and Hardison just plain jealous.

Parker looked surprised by the sudden attention. "I'll just ride with Nate and Sophie, I don't mind the backseat."

"Good," Nate clapped his hands. And then Eliot can ride with Hardison, and nobody needs to be on a motorcycle."

Eliot muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'nobody needs a tesla either,' but Nate chose to ignore him. Besides, Nate would be driving the much less conspicuous black four door sedan he parked beside the shiny red sports car.

Sophie stood to leave before stopping to look at Parker critically. "Parker, do you even have a warm coat to wear?"

Parker's gaze shifted to the left, "Maybe," she hedged.

Sophie rolled her eyes, "Come on, we're going shopping."

Sighing sadly, Parker followed Sophie out the door, knowing it was useless to argue. On the way out she noticed Hardison humming a tune she vaguely recognized as Darth Vader's theme from Star Wars. Laughing, she shot Hardison a grateful glance before following Sophie once again.

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When the girls had gone, Nate turned to Eliot with an exasperated expression. "Really?" he asked, "Seriously? You had to ask if Parker wanted to ride on your death trap? That's the last thing we need."

Eliot glanced at Hardison, who still looked annoyed, and answered Nate, "It was worth it."

Nate shook his head, "Out. Both of you. I have not had enough coffee for this. See you both tomorrow."

Eliot tossed Hardison another smirk before sauntering out the door in the cocky but totally justified way that only he could pull off. Hardison stayed a long minute, until the hitter was long gone, and then headed home to get some rest.

TBC

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	3. Parkers Got a Brand New

**A/N** – Ok, so this is a short chapter, sorry. I just haven't had time to write more, but its pretty mapped out in my head. More will come tomorrow.  For those of ya who care, lol.

**Ch 3 – Parker's Got a Brand New Dress.. err Jacket**

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The team arrived one by one the next morning outside of Nate's apartment, all in different frames of mind, and clothing. Nate was well rested for once and appeared comfortable in his blue jeans and dark blue New England Patriots sweatshirt. Sophie showed up next, looking unhappy but gorgeous as usual, clad in dark wash jeans topped with a waist length tan trench coat. To her intense displeasure, she also wore sneakers, stealing her of her usual height. Hardison wore jeans and a black zip up jacket, looking snazzy but anonymous. Eliot wore one of his usual outfits, jeans and a blue flannel shirt, covered by a warm looking brown twill coat that he left unzipped. And Parker, being Parker, couldn't help but stand out. Like the rest of the team, she wore jeans, a dark wash like Sophie's. And she also wore sneakers, as always. Her light pink tshirt was nothing conspicuous, but it was the jacket that made them stop and stare. Parker's new purchase was a form fitting waist length leather jacket, which she had zipped to right under her cleavage. Adding the jacket to her contrasting tumbles of blonde hair, the team couldn't help but notice how good she looked. Sophie looked proud, Hardison looked intrigued, Nate looked like a headache was forming already, and Eliot looked downright pleased.

"Nice," he said to Parker, nodding toward the jacket, "Now you have to ride with me."

Parker looked confused, glancing between Eliot's grin and Hardison's annoyed scowl, "Why?"

Eliot shrugged, "Leather and motorcycles, they just go together. And since I couldn't bring my jacket today…" He kept his eyes trained on Parker, blatantly ignoring the sure to be seething on the inside Hardison. He almost felt bad for teasing the boy so much, but he couldn't help himself. He was bored. And Parker did look pretty damn good.

Parker considered before asking, "So you're bringing your bike after all?" Eliot nodded, also ignoring Nate's 'I thought we said no motorcycles' glare. Parker smiled at him, before turning to Hardison.

"Eliot brought his bike. I don't want to ride a motorcycle for an hour. Makes my legs all wobbly. Can I ride with you still?"

Eliot was sure Hardison's face would break, his smile was so wide.

"Duh," Hardison answered, unable to resist giving her hair a little flick. They were all surprised when Parker just laughed. It was good to see how much she really had grown in the past year.

Nate rubbed his hands together, shaking out the chill from the crisp air. "Let's get going," he suggested, heading toward his car, Sophie beside him. Eliot rolled his eyes, just for good measure, and mounted the bike, pulling his helmet on securely. Parker stole the van keys from Hardison's pocket and was in the driver's seat before he had realized what happened. Shaking his head, he just hopped in the passenger seat and buckled in.

And they were off.

TBC


	4. All's Fair In

A/N – Another shortish chapter here. I just don't have time anymore, *le sigh.* But if anybody cares, more will be coming soon, lol. :D

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**Ch 4 – All's Fair In…**** (no, I couldn't help it)**

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The first forty five minutes of the drive went on without incident. And then they hit the traffic. Cars lined up for miles down the highway, waiting for the turn into the Fair. Nate, who had seen it before, just sat back in his seat, knowing there was nothing to be done. Sophie fiddled with the radio for a few minutes before focusing her attention outside at the cars behind them. People watching was always more fascinating than it had any right to be.

She couldn't get a good look inside the van that held Parker and Hardison, but nothing was on fire, so she decided it must be going well enough. Some creative adjusting of the side mirror lent Sophie a good look at Eliot, still atop his bike, appearing to be talking to somebody in the car beside him. As she watched, Eliot removed his helmet and ran his fingers through his tangled hair, giving whoever was beside him a charming smile. Sophie laughed at his obvious, but effective, flirting.

"What's funny?" Nate asked, looking up from his newspaper.

Sophie laughed again, "Just Eliot finding the opportunity to flirt in standstill traffic."

Nate snorted without even looking out the window, "He let the hair out, huh?"

"Yep."

Rolling his eyes, Nate left Sophie to her people watching as he went back to his paper.

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"I can't believe this traffic, all for some damn carnival," Hardison grumbled, half in annoyance and half in awe. He peered out the window again, hoping to see the cars move even an inch forward.

Parker threw the locks she'd been systematically picking and repacking back to the floor. "It's not a carnival, Hardison," she corrected, "It's a state Fair."

"What's the difference, anyway?" Hardison looked genuinely curious, forgetting his annoyance for the moment.

Parker shrugged, "I don't know. More animals I guess? Less clowns."

"And vegetables. These people love their giant vegetables," Hardison recalled from his research.

"I wanna see the giant pumpkin!" Parker grinned suddenly. Hardison was taken aback for a moment but her excitement was contagious, and he found himself grinning back. "So we'll see the giant pumpkin. I think they have, like, giant squash and stuff too."

Parker's nose wrinkled as she spoke, "giant squash? That's just creepy."

"What…" Hardison gave up trying to figure Parker's brain for the time being and instead dug into the backpack he pulled from the back, offering an array of snacks.

"Candy?"

Parker smiled almost sunnily before picking out a cherry lollipop and wasting no time popping it into her mouth. Hardison gulped and tried very hard to think of anything besides Parker and lollipops and sexy sexy leather jackets. He went back to peering hopefully out the window, letting out a small "woo!" as the traffic moved forward an entire two feet.

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Eliot tucked the pretty redhead's number into his back pocket. She'd told him that her name was Chloe, and confessed she had always wanted to ride a motorcycle. Eliot smirked deviously at her, before glancing briefly to the man in the driver's seat beside her and looking back to Chloe questioningly. She just laughed, "My brother," she explained, "Our parents are a few cars ahead." Eliot looked mildly alarmed at first, and he guessed it showed, because Chloe laughed again. "Relax, I'm 25. My parents are just really traditional. We do this every year."

Eliot grinned.

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After what seemed like an eternity, the team finally made it to the front gates. Nate reached the ticket booth, only to find his team already gone. Sighing, he bought his ticket and headed in. He walked a bit down the main path and waited. Sure enough, the rest of the team surrounded him after a moment. He made to ask, but stopped himself. Parker answered anyway,

"We're thieves. Did you really think we'd pay to get in?"

Nate sighed, "I thought Hardison might. Might."

"I don't know whether to be offended or flattered," Hardison mock huffed, holding his hand to his heart.

Nate just shook his head, "Let's just do this. Eliot, Parker, take a look around north, Sophie and I will head south. Hardison, you know what to do."

They all nodded. Nate and Sophie walked off first, for all intents and purposes looking like any other New England couple enjoying the Fair. Hardison sidled away next, clutching his backpack of tricks, blending in seamlessly as just another college student. Parker grinned over at Eliot as they were left on their own, lips an unnatural red from her long gone lollipop. "Hardison gave me candy, but it's gone. Can we get cotton candy?"

"You want food colored pure sugar?" Eliot couldn't help but feel slightly panicked at the thought of a more than usual hopped up Parker. When she just nodded enthusiastically, he sighed before an idea popped into his head.

"Ever had a caramel apple?" He figured the apple balanced out at least some of the caramel, whereas the cotton candy was just sugar.

It worked, "Ooh, no!" Parker's eyes lit up, "Let's try that!"

They headed toward the carnival section of the fair, where the food was, looking for the big candy apple sign the Fair map had shown them. Eliot watched Parker quietly, realizing that she had all but lost her objective and had gotten caught up in the sights and sounds of the Fair. People rushed around them in various states of excitement and aggravation. Babies cried, kids whined, teenagers sulked and almost everybody looked a little overwhelmed, but Parker just took it all in with a smile. She looked so happy that he couldn't bring himself to remind her of the plan. Instead, he resolved to observe enough for the both of them and let Parker enjoy herself. The apple tent finally came into their line of vision, but Eliot was still surprised when Parker grabbed his hand and tugged him forward excitedly. Feeling like the eternally put upon big brother, he tried to be annoyed, but failed, and matched his pace to hers. An apple did sound pretty good.

TBC

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	5. Can't it Ever Just Go as Planned?

A/N - Some of you may notice that I completely made up one of the attractions at the Fair. For the sake of the story, just go with it, 

Also, just wanted to say thanks to everyone that's been reading and reviewing. You guys are awesome.

This chapter is longer than the last two, and hopefully more will come tomorrow.

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**Ch 5 – Can't it Ever Just Go as Planned?**

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Nate and Sophie walked casually through the fair, looking for anything out of place. Twenty minutes and several running children later, they still hadn't come up with anything.

"Any luck, guys?" Nate asked over the comms.

Hardison replied first, "Nothing yet. But the cameras were a breeze to piggyback. Once I get back to the van, I'll be able to see everything."

Nate nodded before realizing, at Sophie's amused look, that Hardison couldn't actually see him. "Ok, good. Eliot? Parker?" He continued.

The slight laugh was evident in Eliot's voice as he responded, "We've got nothing either. Well, Parker's got a caramel apple bigger than her fist, but nothing suspicious." Nate went to respond but was cut off by a strange muffled sound and Eliot's "Parker! Don't try and fit the whole thing in your mouth at once!" Sophie's eyes went wide as Nate's jaw dropped, and they were sure, wherever he was, Hardison was having a mini breakdown.

"But it's so tasty!" Parker protested, "Really sticky though."

Sophie dissolved into giggles before Eliot's voice broke through the comm again, "Seriously? What are you guys, twelve?"

"What?" They heard Parker ask Eliot, who whispered the explanation into her ear low enough that his comm didn't pick it up.

"Oh!" Parker sounded slightly scandalized, "That's just silly. Why would I do that in the middle of the food court? The ferris wheel would be much more reasonable."

Eliot just stared. Nate sighed, motioning for Sophie to keep walking and let the others go about their business.

Hardison, who had been suspiciously quiet, chose the moment to speak up, "Hey Parker?" he asked, pausing as she responded with "Yeah?" He grinned as he made his way back to the van, "Wanna ride the ferris wheel later?"

Parker just laughed, munching on her apple.

But it wasn't a 'no.'

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Hardison had grown to love their van, even if it was always way too hot or way too cold, and almost always smelled a little funky. Letting the buzz from the other's comms fade to the background, he went about setting up his laptop and the various camera angles he had hacked into. He split the screen into the six main cameras, and tested out the zoom feature on each camera. For a bona fide vegetable fair, they sure had some decent camera. Hardison was both impressed and a little suspicious. Popping the top off a bottle of orange soda, he sat back and settled in to watch.

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"Oh look, an Autumn Path!" Sophie looked positively delighted. Nate glanced over in curiosity; he had never seen that before.

"It must be pretty new, I don't remember it," he commented, taking in the reds and oranges of the leaves on the trees and on the ground. "What does it do?"

Sophie walked closer, inspecting the little plaque on the gate to the path, "I think it's just a path you can have a stroll down and see the 'wondrous beauty of a New England Autumn'" she quoted the sign.

"Have a stroll? Really?" Nate couldn't help but tease. Sophie just rolled her eyes before tugging at his sleeve, "Come on, Nate, It'll be fun. Oh, you even get to pick out a free pumpkin at the end!"

Nate, knowing he wasn't getting out of it, sighed and followed Sophie through the gate.

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Parker licked the last bit of caramel from her stick and went to toss it to the floor, but her wrist was quickly caught by Eliot.

"The trash can is three feet away, Parker. Come on."

"Yes, daddy," Parker grumbled as she made her way to the barrel. Eliot chose to ignore the comment.

They made their way past the arcade games and shouting vendors, still finding nothing out of the ordinary. As they turned to go back towards the center of the fair, Eliot found himself with an armful of giggly redhead.

"Chloe?" he strained to remember the girl's name, but he was pretty sure it was the girl from traffic. She hadn't been this giggly before.

"Hi," she beamed up at him, even as he pushed her gently away from his body, putting some personal space between them.

Parker took in the sight of the tiny girl, who barely reached five feet, and was swaying dangerously, "I think she's drunk," she proclaimed, sounding more inconvenienced than worried.

"I'm not drunk!" Chloe protested, pouting at Parker, "I like your jacket," she continued, as if the two thoughts had something at all to do with each other. Straightening up a little, Chloe looped two fingers through both sides of Eliot's belt, pulling him forward as best she could.

"I was thinking," she pulled one hand up to rest on his chest, "That you could teach me how to ride your… motorcycle." She smiled up at him and honest to goodness batted her eyelashes.

Parker snorted, enjoying the show, and stage whispered to Eliot, "I don't think she actually means your motorcycle!"

Eliot groaned, trying very hard not to be rude to the very drunk girl who was currently trying to molest him. "Thank you, Parker," he grumbled sarcastically, before grabbing both of Chloe's hands and placing them firmly at her sides.

"That sounds great, Chloe, really. But I'm in the middle of a family emergency right now. My cousin here," he gestured to Parker, "she's, she's um…"

"Pregnant!" Parker proclaimed, "I'm pregnant. And it's all his fault."

Chloe stepped back, revolted. "What kind of cousins are you?"

Parker just shrugged, rubbing her belly protectively, and Eliot didn't know whether to be angry or relived. He chose relived when Chloe sent them one last disgusted look before wobbling off in the opposite direction.

"Really?" he couldn't help but ask in exasperation.

"Not like you were coming up with anything better!" Parker shot back, poking him in the shoulder.

Eliot swatted at her hand, "Shut up."

They walked on.

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The Autumn Path was just that, a path. A cobblestone path, to be more specific, surrounded by brightly colored trees and vegetable patches. Nate and Sophie walked in silence for a few minutes, Sophie taking pictures with a camera that Nate had no idea where she had pulled from. Looking around, Nate slowly realized that everybody but them on the path seemed to be couples. In fact, most of them were holding hands or resting against each other in some way.

He stopped to look at Sophie, really look at her, as she snapped a picture of a particularly colorful tree, wide grin on her face. He had always known she was beautiful, had always wanted her, but the jolt of need he felt in his chest still caught him off guard. It had been so long since he'd felt anything like this, without the immediate guilt and pain that followed, that he wasn't entirely sure what to do with the feeling. The idea that he really did love her, even with all their problems and lies and games, used to make him feel like he was drowning in quicksand with no escape, but now. Now, it was more like being shipwrecked on an island with a flare gun. Almost as impossible, but with a glimmer of hope. Sophie chose that moment to put her camera away and come back to Nate. "We're almost there," she said, "Let's go pick out our pumpkins." Nate smiled.

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Meanwhile, in the van, Hardison slept soundly, having passed out in his chair from boredom.

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"I feel funny," Parker stopped walking suddenly, clutching Eliot's sleeve tightly as she swayed in place. They were almost to the center of the fair.

Eliot held her steady as she tried to stop the head swimming. "It's from all that sugar," he told her, shaking his head, "You're gonna be sick. Just try and aim for a barrel, ok?"

Parker took another unstable step before stopping and leaning into Eliot, "No. I don't feel sick. I feel funny. I, I know this feeling. It's like…" she paused as she tried to think, everything starting to feel fuzzy, "Rohypnol" she finished her thought, knees buckling.

Eliot caught her, carrying her as inconspicuously as he could to a nearby bench. Sitting her upright, he sat beside her, unsurprised when she immediately fell sideways into him. Wrapping an arm around her, he hoped they looked like just another couple enjoying some alone time.

"Sleepy," Parker murmured into his shoulder, closing her eyes. Eliot shook her gently, "Stay awake Parker, come on."

Parker just snuggled closer, "I've been through this, it'll wear off. Sleepy now."

Eliot decided that the circumstances for Parker being previously drugged were a topic for another time and instead focused on getting the other's attention.

"Guys," he waited, annoyed when nobody responded. "Guys!" he practically yelled.

"What is it, Eliot?" Sophie responded as she received her pumpkin.

"We've got a problem. This might be bigger than we thought."

"What do you mean?" Nate's voice came across, all business at once.

Eliot sighed, cradling the passed out Parker protectively, "Someone drugged Parker."

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TBC


	6. So Where's the Wicked Stepmother?

A/N – Sorry for another short chapter, life is busy as hell. I'm thinking maybe 3 or 4 more chapters in this one. Hopefully longer chapters. I'm gonna try and have it finished by Saturday.

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**Ch 6 – So Where's the Wicked Stepmother?**

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Five people, one unconscious, was a tight squeeze even in the big van, but the team had no other option for a meeting place. The sight of Eliot carrying the "sleeping" Parker out of the park had drawn some looks, to be sure, but nobody who got a glimpse of Eliot's face dared to get close enough to ask questions. Most everyone instinctively moved out of the way, clearing a semi path to the main gate, leaving Eliot clear to make his way to the van.

Nate and Sophie were already in the front seats, quietly arguing about what to do next. Hardison, who had gotten a surprise wakeup call by the rapidly opening doors, sat in the back, waiting for the others to join him. The back opened abruptly and the next second Eliot was there, Parker still in his arms. He laid her down carefully on the blankets Hardison had set out, before settling himself on the floor on one side of the girl, Hardison coming down from his chair to sit on the other side. In an eerily synchronized motion, both men turned their heads to look up at Nate, silently asking, "What now?"

"Ok," Nate began, turning as much as the seat would allow, "What happened… exactly?"

"Nothing," Eliot began, brow furrowing, "We were just walking around, scouting, and then ran into Chloe and then next thing I knew…wait."

They waited.

"She said she wasn't drunk," Eliot groaned to himself, "And we just brushed her off. Damn it."

"Huh?" Hardison asked. His nap had left large gaps in the events before now.

"This girl, Chloe. She came up to us, all drunk and giggly. But maybe she wasn't drunk, since not twenty minutes later Parker starting the same way."

"Drunk and giggly?" Sophie questioned, not sure if she could picture and drunk and giggly Parker.

Eliot sighed, "Not exactly. But similar. She said she felt funny, then her legs gave out. She wasn't really giggly, just kind of… cuddly." He squirmed visibly on the last word, as if unwilling to admit he even knew the meaning of the word. He also pointedly left out the mention of Parker's previous drugging. That was nobody's business but hers.

Hardison looked down at Parker, who could have been napping, and stroked her hair, the motion more comforting to him than her at the moment. "When will it wear off?" he asked Eliot, knowing the hitter would know.

"It can last as long as a day," Eliot responded, frowning, "But she'll probably wake up soon, just be pretty sick for a while. She might be out of it too."

Parker took that moment to open her eyes, effectively startling Hardison, who was still stroking her hair.

"Hey," he whispered to her, not sure how to act in the situation. She smiled dazedly up at him, but couldn't seem to focus enough to respond.

Eliot swatted Hardison's hand away and turned Parker's head to look at him, holding her steady, "Parker. Do you know who drugged you?"

Parked giggled, and Eliot spared a quick glance of 'see?!' to Sophie, before focusing back on Parker, who appeared to be trying to talk. "Who drugged you?" he repeated, kindly but firmly, knowing how hard it was for her to stay aware.

"Wicked stepmother," she said before dissolving into giggles again.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hardison asked, mostly to himself, before being distracted by Parker reaching out to take his hand, drumming her fingers against his palm without rhythm. He looked up at Eliot, clearly unsure of what to do, but the hitter just shrugged, indicating he should just go with it. So Hardison let her keep on drumming.

"Shit!" Eliot exclaimed suddenly, surprising the others, "I'm an idiot."

To their credit, the team remained silent, waiting for him to explain.

"She ate the apple. Before she got all…" he waved his arms around to demonstrate a wobbly person.

"Oh, I see," Sophie nodded, "That's what she means by wicked stepmother, she ate a poison apple just like Snow White."

"Briar Rose," Parker spoke in a harsh whisper, her drumming on Hardison's hand turning to angry gripping.

They looked at her, but after a moment she went back to drumming, this time with humming to accompany it.

Nate looked to Hardison, "Pull up what you can on the cameras of Chloe, let's see if she ate an apple too."

Hardison nodded before reluctantly moving from Parker and settling back into the chair in front of the computer, fingers flying as he pulled up various video feeds of the previous hours. Finally he spotted the little redhead throwing herself at Eliot and backtracked from there.

"Here!" he announced victoriously, and the team, minus a now cooing Parker, watched as Chloe most certainly bought and began eating an apple from the same vendor Eliot and Parker had visited.

Eliot, somewhat unsurprising, immediately made for the door, fury evident on his face.

"Stop!" Nate called out, amazed when Eliot stopped, albeit with an aggravated and impatient expression on his face.

"What exactly are you planning on doing, Eliot?" Nate asked, in that steady voice that somehow calmed them all against their will.

"I'm gonna kick some apple vendor ass, that's what I'm gonna do, Nate," he sneered the last word, impatience still evident.

And before they could stop him, he was out the door, storming back towards the Fair.

"Well, this ain't gonna end well," Hardison sighed, petting Parker's hair again as she pulled him back down to sit beside her.

XXXXXXX

TBC

A/N - And Mary, if you're reading this and going "hey! I did this first!".. I wrote this before I read your latest thing. So umm, sorry. Apparently our Parker's are similar lol. In our heads. I've been planning the whole poison apple thing for a few weeks.. and then I read your thing yesterday and I was like, "well, fuck." So yeah, coincidence. Just so you know.

If you aren't Mary, and have no idea what I'm going on about, and yet still reading… carry on. :D


	7. Please

A/N – Ok, yeah, super short chapter. BUT.. I'm writing the next one as we speak. This was just such a cool place to break, lol. There will be at least one more chapter up tonight. Anyway, hope you like.

XXXXXXXXXXX

**Ch 7 – Please**

XXXXXXXXX

Eliot stormed the gates of the fair with fire in his veins. Nobody was allowed to hurt his family, and he was intent on making whoever was behind this hurt in so many different ways. Finally spotting the apple tent, Eliot slowed his pace and set his face into a smooth mask. It wouldn't do to have the vendor take off running. It wasn't that Eliot couldn't catch him, because he could. He just didn't want anybody else getting hurt in the process, and scum who drugged girls didn't generally care much about collateral damage. His irritation rose as he approached the tent to see a girl no older than fourteen handing out the apples, not the bearded man from earlier. She looked up quickly at Eliot, as a perspective customer, and quickly looked back down, clearly unnerved by the hum of intensity about him. Pushing the fire down deep, Eliot changed tactics.

"Hey there, honey," He smiled kindly at the girl, happy when she smiled back up at him, blushing. He knew it was wrong to take advantage of teenage hormones, but it was an emergency.

"You weren't here a couple of hours ago, right?" he continued, chuckling softly, "Older guy, not nearly as cute as you."

The girl's eyes went wide as Eliot leaned in a little closer, giving her another charming smile. "N-no, sir." She stuttered out, blushing brightly, "My f-father was here earlier. But he had to l-l-leave. Said I could finish up today. It's not h-hard really," she shrugged in a self deprecating gesture.

"Well that's real nice, you're doing a great job…" Eliot trailed, taking a small step back so he wouldn't seem like a complete pedophile.

"Denny," the girl volunteered, becoming comfortable, "Well, Denise really, but that's like a thirty year old's name," she paused, "No offense." Eliot genuinely snorted at that; he'd forgotten how old thirty seemed when you were young.

"None taken. I wouldn't be a teenager again for anything," Eliot said warmly.

Denny nodded, "Yeah. It kinda sucks. A lot."

Eliot laughed again, he liked the kid. But there were more important matters to be attended to.

"Hey Denny," he glanced quickly to make sure there was no line behind him, "I'm looking for a friend of mine. Last I saw her, she was right around here, maybe you saw her? Tiny little thing," Eliot held a hand flat about the level of his collarbone, "lots of red, curly hair?"

Denny's tanned skin turned pale in an instant at the mention of Chloe, but she shook her head vehemently, "Nu-uh, didn't see anyone like that." Big, worried eyes avoided his gaze, "Sorry," she offered softly, and Eliot could see she was trying not to cry.

"Hey, it's ok, darlin,' don't worry about it," he soothed. Denny finally looked back up at him, and this time her eyes held an entirely different story, one Eliot had seen far too many time. He reached out and grabbed her hand in his own, giving it a quick squeeze, "It's going to be ok, I promise."

Pulling his hand away, he reached in his pocket and pulled out a five, "How about one of those caramel apples, huh?" he asked the girl, who just stared at him with a mix of shock and hope, before finally shaking herself of it and nodding. She took the money and deposited it in the register before turning to prepare the apple. After a moment, she turned back and handed Eliot the apple, pressing it into his hand with both of hers.

"Thank you," Eliot said, automatically, even as he felt a foreign crunch against his palm.

Denny smiled grimly as he turned to leave, "Please come again."

Eliot made sure there was a good distance between himself and the tent before dropping the apple into a plastic grocery bag he nabbed and looping the bag on his wrist. Putting another few feet, just to be safe, he finally opened his palm fully, unsurprised to find a folded piece of paper in it. Opening it, he sighed when he saw the hastily scribbled note in red ink. It simply read: PLEASE HELP US.

XXXXXXXXXX

TBC


	8. Down

A/N – Told ya there'd be another chapter up tonight. :D Working on the next one now. Hell, might even finish this tonight. We shall see.

XXXXXXXXXXX

**Ch 8 – Down **

XXXXXXXX

When Eliot finally came back to van, the team bombarded him at once. Hardison with questions, Sophie with worries, Nate with a surely prepared lecture on teamwork and Parker with, well, herself. No sooner had Eliot settled back on the floor, did she practically crawl into his lap, nudging his legs so she could settle between them, burrowing against his chest, grabbing his arms and wrapping them around her when he didn't immediately do so.

The rest of the team stared in surprise, and Hardison glared with more than a little jealousy evident. Eliot looked over at him helplessly, clearly uncomfortable, but unwilling to upset Parker. Instead he tried talking to the thief.

"Parker, what's with the, uh, cuddling?" There was that word again.

Parker burrowed closer in and he realized she was shaking, "I'm so cold," she responded, curling impossibly smaller into herself. Eliot sighed, knowing it was another effect of the drug, as he grabbed one of the blankets and wrapped her up in it before settling her back against his chest, facing Hardison. She leaned her head back into his shoulder, muttering about cotton candy. To his credit, Hardison no longer looked jealous, but only concerned for Parker.

Nate broke the moment, "What happened?"

Eliot filled them in, leaving out the cringe worthy flirting. "There's gotta be more of them, it specifically says 'help us' not 'help me,'" he finished, flashing them the note, "But where the hell are they?"

"Give it here," Sophie demanded softly and Eliot handed over the paper. She glanced at it before rolling her eyes at Eliot.

"How did you not see this?"

Eliot took a moment to reassure Parker that the great red bull hadn't eaten all the unicorns after all before glaring at Sophie and her tone.

Sophie just turned the paper over and held it smooth for them to see. "It's a business card," she explained, "for a," she squinted to see in the fading daylight, "insurance agency. In Chelsea."

"Smart kid," Hardison commented, fingers already flying to pull up information on the agency.

Eliot let his head drop to Parker's shoulder, angry with himself for missing something as clear as that. Parker reached up to pet his hair, telling him even lions miss the mice sometimes. Oddly, it made him feel better. Nate just shook his head.

"Ok. So Hardison, you find out what you can. As for tomorrow, Sophie, you're going to need something shiny and expensive to insure."

Sophie laughed, "I'll make due."

"Hold on," Eliot interrupted, "We're gonna wait until tomorrow? Who knows how much danger these people are in? What if tomorrow is too late?"

"The girl you saw," Nate countered, "you said she looked like she was hiding something. Something that's ongoing. Whatever it is, it won't end tonight. We need time to sleep and regroup, and for Parker to detox. We can't rush in guns blazing with this one. Too many people could get hurt. You know that, Eliot."

"I know," Eliot growled the words out as if they physically hurt, "Don't mean I gotta like it."

"None of us like it," Sophie soothed, "But the alternative is too unpredictable.

Eliot glanced over at Hardison, noticing the glint in his eyes, before turning back to Sophie, "You're right. Tomorrow will be better." The grifter looked surprised but happy and turned around to buckle in.

"Parker," Eliot spoke softly, "I have to ride my bike home, ok? Sit with Hardison, he's warm too."

Parker nodded, allowing herself to be shifted over to Hardison who wrapped himself around her protectively, for once not even thinking about anything more than helping her. Eliot watched Parker move with growing anger. He hated seeing her this passive, this easily suggestible. God only knew what the others that needed help were going through.

Staring hard at Hardison for a long moment, Eliot tried to say all he could without actually speaking, relived when Hardison nodded almost imperceptibly. "See you guys in the morning," he addressed Nate and Sophie, before leaving the van once again for his motorcycle.

Eliot revved the bike as he set out behind the van, towards home. Hardison would call as soon as it was clear, he knew. Most of the time Nate knew what was best, a fact Eliot grudgingly acknowledged, at least in terms of the team. This time, however, Nate just didn't understand. But Hardison did. One way or the other, this would end tonight.

XXXX

TBC


	9. It Ends Tonight

**Ch 9 – It Ends Tonight**

XXXXXX

The call came just after midnight, and Eliot couldn't help but feel like he was in a bad James Bond movie. But seeing as he could kick Bond's ass anytime, the thought didn't concern him very much. Standing from his couch to stretch, Eliot answered the phone.

"Hardison," he greeted.

"You wanted me to call, right?" Hardison began rambling, "because that's what it looked like you were trying to say, and I sure as hell know you didn't want Nate knowing, but I know as well as you know that we need to help those people tonight, and Sophie can take care of Parker and Nate can sleep or whatever he does, but I can't just sit here like this and..."

"Hardison," Eliot interrupted, "Shut up."

Hardison hushed. Eliot continued, "I wanted you to call. Meet me here in ten minutes."

XXXXX

The ride to Chelsea was spent in silence until the quiet got to Eliot, instead of Hardison for once.

"How's Parker?" he asked Hardison, eyes firmly on the road.

Hardison drummed his fingers erratically on the dashboard, "She's alright. She's sleeping at Sophie's, sorta restlessly, but sleeping. She'll be ok."

"Yeah," Eliot agreed, "She's gonna have one hell of a headache in the morning though."

Hardison laughed suddenly, "Parker's in Sophie's bed."

"So?" Eliot asked, distracted by thoughts of all the ways the plan could go wrong.

"So where is Sophie sleeping?" Hardison mused, smirking slightly.

Eliot couldn't help the burst of laughter that shot out as he considered. "I'm sure Sophie has a spare room or seven to sleep in," he responded, trying to stay in reality.

"True," Hardison sighed somewhat wistfully, "But tell me that's not a pretty picture."

"Didn't know you had it in ya, kid," Eliot laughed.

The rest of the ride went in distinctly less nervous silence.

XXXXX

The sound of retching woke Sophie up from her spare room's bed, and she groaned as she wrapped her robe tightly around her against the cold. Padding to her bedroom, she opened the door to find Parker half laying off the bed, arms wrapped around the bucket Nate had insisted she would need.

"Parker?" Sophie whispered, question clear in her voice.

Parker sighed miserably, but lucidly, "I don't think there's anything left," she moaned. She pulled herself back to laying on her back, glad her long braid had kept her hair away from the bucket.

Sophie handed Parker a towel to wipe her face and checked to make sure her water glass was full. Breathing shallowly, she brought the bucket to the bathroom and flushed its contents before rinsing it thoroughly in the tub. She brought the bucket back to the bedside, just in case. Parker was silent but clearly not asleep.

"Do you need anything else?" Sophie asked, wishing she could help the girl.

Parker just shook her head minutely, not wanting to move. Sophie had almost made it to the door before Parker's voice called out weakly for her to wait.

"What is it?" Sophie was by her side instantly, hands fluttering to be put to use.

Parker closed her eyes, as if she was ashamed, "Will you just stay with me?"

"Of course," Sophie smiled, climbing into the other side of the bed and slipping beneath the covers.

Parker turned to her side, facing the door and away from Sophie. Sophie turned to face Parker, reaching out to rub the other woman's back soothingly. It wasn't long before they were both fast asleep.

XXXXXXXX

"This is it," Hardison confirmed, looking at the small building in the heart of Chelsea.

"Oliveria Insurance Agency," Eliot read from the big white sign. He looked around suspiciously, "This whole city is shady," he commented and Hardison nodded. "You ain't lying."

They walked toward the building in silence, looking for anything amiss.

"Look," Hardison whispered from the side of the building. Eliot came over. "Why would anybody board up a bulkhead like this?" The entry to the basement was extensively boarded up and chained, covered by heavy sandbags.

"Why the hell does an insurance agency have a basement like this anyway?" Eliot added.

Hardison shook his head, "It can't be this simple."

"You're right," Eliot agreed, thinking. Before he could get another word out, a muffled screamed came through the bulkhead, catching their attention.

"Then again," Eliot offered, "You might be wrong."

They set to work clearing the bulkhead door, as quickly and quietly as possible. Finally they were down to the original lock. Hardison prepared to pick it, but Eliot stopped him, standing back and giving the lock a good hard kick, smirking when it fell in pieces.

"Dude, you are Chuck Norris," Hardison said in awe.

"It was mostly made of rust," Eliot brushed off the compliment, "Now come on. Stay behind me."

"Not gonna argue there."

The shallow stairs led them to a wooden door. Sounds of struggle flowed through the wood, only egging Eliot and Hardison on. On the silent count of three, the men rammed into the door together, still somewhat surprised when they actually burst through. What they saw, however, stopped them in their tracks.

Eleven girls, between about 12 and 25, were chained to the walls, in a sort of semi circle. They had mats that most of them cowered on even now. In the center of the room, chained to a pole, was Chloe, lash marks visibly covering her small frame. She wept silently, not even seeing them. None of this, however, is what caught the men's interest.

The sound of sobbing drew their attention to the far corner, with no chained girls. Slumped to the floor was the vendor from the fair, seemingly unconscious. Standing above him, sobbing and still clutching a metal bat, was Denny.

Eliot approached her, removing the bat from her hands and passing it to Hardison who set it down and began picking chain locks. He had barely stepped forward when Denny collapsed against him, sobbing 'thank you' and 'I'm sorry' over and over. He held her tightly, letting her cry, reassuring her as best he could.

"Did I kill him?" Denny whispered and Eliot could tell that she didn't know what she wanted the truth to be.

He looked, "No, just knocked him out," he whispered back, before pulling away to make sure she was ok.

"Good," Denny's voice cracked on the word, "I want him to pay. And I don't want to…" she choked up again, throat constricting.

"You're not a killer," Eliot assured her, "he'll live."

Denny looked up, black hair tumbling around her and Eliot thought he'd never seen somebody look so much younger in just one instant. It was the metaphorical weight lift, he knew that, but it was always something to see.

"I'm so tired," Denny confessed, weariness apparent in her voice.

Eliot ruffled her hair, "I know you are. And you'll be able to rest, after the police are done here." Denny nodded.

Hardison came over, after freeing all the girls. "Eliot, man, we gotta get going. After we tie that guy up anyway. Cops are on the way." Eliot nodded curtly.

"You're leaving?" Denny asked with a shaky voice.

"We can't stay," Eliot explained, "I'm sorry. You just need to be strong for a little while longer and tell the cops exactly what happened. Besides us being here. And when it's safe to come see you, I will."

"Promise?"

Eliot smiled, "I promise."

Their headlights dimmed just as the sirens and flashing lights flooded the air around the building.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

And so the next day came. Nate didn't take it well, but he could have taken it worse. Eliot assumed he was mostly angry because he knew he had dropped the ball on this particular case. Hardison kept tabs on every aspect of the events following the police bust.

"Let me get this straight," Sophie said, perching herself on the couch, "This Oliveria guy was a nazi? A secret nazi?"

"I told you they existed!" Parker interjected entirely too excitedly.

Hardison sighed, "Not a nazi, exactly, but definitely a nutjob. See, Oliveria is half white, half Puerto Rican. His dad died when he was little, and his mother was some kind of KKK crazy. Why she married a Puerto Rican if she was a supremist, I do not know, but she did. Anyway, she taught little Oliveria all about the pureness of the white race."

"And he wanted to create his very own paradise," Eliot spat the words.

"Yeah," Hardison nodded, glancing towards Parker, "Which of course meant having a full harem of blonde, fair skinned wives to bear his little nazi children."

"So he drugged the girls, just enough to make them loopy, and kidnapped them after," Nate nodded, "But why didn't anyone report these girls missing."

"That's the worst part," Hardison sounded disgusted, "Out of the eleven girls there, only three were local girls. All went missing in the past week. Six others are from around the country. And the last two, the youngest girls, eleven and twelve, they're his kids. From his second wife. His first wife was Iris Contreras, who disappeared shortly after Denny was born. The second wife died of cancer a few years back"

"What I don't understand," Parker said, "Is why did he keep Denny alive? And why did he even take Chloe? Neither of them are 'pure'"

Eliot answered this one, "He used Denny as a slave and caretaker. I bet the fair was the only chance she got to be outside all year. As for Chloe, well he was just a sick bastard. I really wish I got the chance to deck him."

"Maybe next time," Sophie petted his hand comfortingly. He just glared.

"How long until I can visit Denny?" Eliot asked, turning his head back to Hardison.

Hardison shrugged, "A few days probably. She's got a lot of relatives in the area, I bet she'll be placed pretty quickly."

"Aww, Eliot made a friend!" Parker laughed.

Eliot scowled, "shut it, cuddles."

Parker shut it.

XXXXXXXXXX

TBC.

Really just an epilogue. But still.


	10. Epilogue

A/N – So another one comes to an end. I really enjoyed writing this one, even if it ended up going a lot differently than I intended. Hopefully you like it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Epilogue – Back to the Fair**

**One Week Later**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"That pumpkin was ginormous!" Parker squealed as she and Hardison left the tent.

"Well yeah," Hardison laughed, "It's called a giant pumpkin for a reason."

"I know, but still! It was huge!" Parker insisted, stretching her arms out as far as she could.

Hardison just smiled, "C'mon girl, lets get moving or we'll freeze to death before we make it to the ferris wheel."

"Don't worry," Parker said, casting him a sly glance, "I'll keep you warm."

Hardison's blush was doing a damn good job of that already.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Why did we come back?" Sophie asked Nate as they strolled down the aisles. "I mean, Hardison's original suspicions ended up being nothing but coincidence. We just happened upon an actual job, crazy as that is."

Nate stopped walking, "I just like it here. I missed having people to share it with."

Sophie smiled brightly, "Then what are we waiting for. Let's go eat ridiculous food and see the hosses… whatever those are."

Nate broke out into laughter, "Hosses are horses, Soph. Just… Bostonified."

"Horrid accents," Sophie sniffed, but she followed Nate to the stables all the same.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Eliot!"

Eliot turned from his view of Nate and Sophie to see a flash of boucing hair and brightly colored clothing running towards him. He caught Denny a second before they would have surely gone tumbling to the ground. He spun her around quickly, loving the laughter it brought from the girl, before placing her gently back on the ground.

"How're you holding up?" he asked, noting a tall dark haired woman in the close background.

Denny smiled, "I'm really good. Aunt Rosa is great. And I have my own room, with my own bathroom, and we even have a dog! And nobody…" she stopped, her bright mood dimming.

"It's ok," Eliot assured her, "You don't have to talk about it right now. I'm sure you'll get to talk to a therapist or twenty."

"Nobody hurts me," Denny finished, determined to get it out, "Or tells me I'm worthless. They don't even know me, but they love me." She smiled again, and it reached her eyes.

"You should go back to your family," Eliot ruffled her hair again, laughing when she rolled her eyes. "But if you need anything, and I mean anything, you call me, ok?"

"I will," Denny hugged him again quickly, even as she started moving back towards her aunt.

"You promise?" Eliot asked, laughing as she walked backwards carefully, keeping eye contact.

"I promise."

The End.

XXXXXX

A/N – Good god, I never thought I would finish this one. I really hope you liked it.


End file.
